


A Cat's Tale

by thisislegit



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cat Tony gets turned into a human, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-21
Updated: 2013-09-21
Packaged: 2017-12-27 04:49:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/974524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisislegit/pseuds/thisislegit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Well you can’t just walk around naked,”Steve scolded.<br/>“I’ve been doing that since you got me!”<br/>“Well when I bought you you had fur! Now you’re naked. As a human you have to wear clothes.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Cat's Tale

Steve walked through the pound taking a moment to look at each animal. He was originally going to go to the pet store, but after researching different types of pets he decided it would be better to give something that lost a home a new home. After all it wasn’t the animal’s fault they were abandoned. He approached the cat section and found all types of little ones looking so dejected, but there was one who looked the worst.

A kitten about 4 months old sat in the corner of its cage with its back toward the bars. It was like he had given up. Steve called over the person at the front desk and asked about the small cat.

“Oh him, that’s Tony. Don’t let him fool you; he’s fairly violent for a kitten. All the families who’ve tried taking him in have brought him back a couple weeks later with complaints of him almost attacking their children. We’ve been discussing putting him down sooner than usual if he keeps it up. A cat that can’t adjust to a family is just as bad as one living on the street,” the pound director explained.

“I’ll take him,” Steve said with finality.

“Are you sure? I mean there are other-“

“No it’s fine. I want to take him home. Shall we bring up the papers?”

“If you’re sure Mr. Rogers,” the director said as he led Steve back to the desk.

Within half an hour Steve had his new pet safely in his carrier, and was on his way to the pet store. He purchased everything that his research had recommended; scratching post, a cat bed, toys, food, separate water and food bowls, flea shampoo(just in case), and a new collar with an identification tag in case Tony ever got out.  
Once he got home he got everything set up just as his “How To Care For Your Cat” and “Basic Cat Care 101” books had told him to. He had already cat-proofed the house weeks before going to the pound so that he could get used to the new arrangements.

Now all he had to do was let Tony out of his cage. He set the carrier down on the floor, crouched down so he could lift the bar, and opened the small door. Tony remained seated in his spot on the small cushion in the carrier. Steve reached a hand in to lift him up but was hissed at causing him to jerk his hand out.

“Okay, I’ll let you let yourself out then,” Steve said standing up. He went over to the twin bowls on the floor filling one with water and the other with cat food. When he turned back around he saw Tony slowly creeping out of the carrier. Steve smiled before going into his fridge and preparing his own dinner.

Hopefully Tony would learn to love it here.

~3 years later~

Steve and Tony had a full routine worked out. In the mornings Tony would crawl over Steve’s torso, hop onto the bedside dresser and switch off Steve’s alarm. Steve would wake up, go through his morning rituals, and get a small container of wet food for Tony. After breakfast was shared, Tony would lay in Steve’s lap to watch their morning soap opera before Steve left to work. When Steve got back later that evening Tony would climb up his pants’ leg and Steve would cradle him like a child as they went back to sit in the living room watching some evening shows. Steve would either make himself dinner or order out, and Tony would have dry cat food.

Sometimes Tony managed to get little snippets of Steve’s food and sometimes he didn’t. Steve would later commence his nightly ritual of getting ready for bed. Once he was under the blankets, Tony curled on top resting on Steve’s legs or his hip depending on how Steve slept that night, and they both went to sleep.

Saturday mornings were the best time of the week for both of them. Steve will admit it took months for Tony to come up to him when he first took him home. It took even longer for Tony to let Steve pet him without hissing at him, but they managed to get used to each other’s good and bad points. Now they laid on couch, Steve’s head and legs resting on opposite arms of the couch and Tony laid on his chest purring contently. Steve laid a hand on Tony’s back occasionally rubbing the soft black fur. His eyes began drooping as he watched Trisha duke it out with her ex on the television, so he startled when the doorbell rang.

Tony sat up quickly, his tail swaying back and forth in a hurried motion. Steve knew this meant Tony was tense and alert so his motions should be slow as not to scare him off. He gently cradled Tony in his arms, got up from the couch, and walked to the front door.

After looking through the peephole and seeing no one Steve opened the door to look for any pranking kids dashing down the halls. A new couple had moved in 4 doors down, and their kids liked banging on people’s doors at random hours of the day, but left before anyone could catch them.

Steve looked down on his welcome mat to find a small woven basket topped with a bow waiting for him. He titled his head and looked at Tony who mimicked the gesture cutely. Steve picked up the basket, closing and locking the door behind him before returning to the living room. He set the basket on the coffee table, and then lifted the small coverlet.

There was a small bottle inside of it. The bottle was about 2 inches long and 3 inches wide with a small cork plugging up the opening. A label was attached that read “One Wish”, and Steve snorted at the idea. There were other things in the basket that unnerved him though. There were blank documents, the ones he remember seeing in movies when people wanted to forge a new identity. Where would someone even get those?

He tossed the bottle back into the basket and set Tony onto the floor.

“One second baby boy,” Steve said as he carried the basket into the kitchen.

He dropped it into the trash bin, dusting his hands onto his sweatpants of the action, and made his way back into the living room. Steve didn’t know what kind of prank someone was trying to pull, but it wasn’t his problem to deal with. He had fallen asleep on the couch a couple hours later.

Tony, being the overly curious cat that he was, decided to leave his master to sleep by himself as he snuck into the kitchen. He peaked around the trash can and sat in front of it so he could determine his best plan of action. The last time he jumped onto it the whole thing toppled over and he didn’t get any of Steve’s food snippets for 2 weeks. It was horrible. He had bacon on several occasions and Tony loved that stuff!

However it turns out that Tony didn’t even need a plan of action as the woven basket lifted itself out of the trashcan. Tony wondered if those things were supposed to do that, but he shrugged and followed it to the small island in the kitchen. After hopping onto a stool and landing on the counter he peaked inside of it. Aw man, there was a toy in there! That is now the property of Tony Rogers the cat.

Before he could get his paws on it the doorbell rang spurring him into action. He jumped off the table and leaped across the kitchen floor, sprinting into Steve’s room.

Tony doesn’t like guests. Especially Steve’s guests, they always paw all over him and his owner. The pawing was unwanted by both.

Steve jerked awake and took a moment to orient himself.

“Coming!” he called as he stood up from the couch.

He made his way over to the door and looked through the peephole to see the top of a blonde head before opening the door.

“Hey Carol.”

“Steve! Oh and shirtless I see. Trying to seduce me before my wedding,” Carol said wiggling her eyebrows.

Steve looked down and realized, yes he was only wearing sweatpants before his cheeks tinted a dark pink.

“Come inside and let me put on a shirt,” he said gesturing her inside and closing the door behind her.

“No it’s okay. I like the view.”

“Hahaha.”

Steve went to his room and grabbed the shirt from his bed, tossing it on before joining Carol on the couch.

“I bet you’re wondering why I stopped by?”

“I’m guessing not for a friendly visit. Did the wedding date change, or did something come up?”

“This visit can still be friendly, and no neither of those things. Steve, you have to bring a date with you,” she said getting to thepoint.

“Why would I need a date?”

“Steve. When was the last time you went out with anyone? All you’ve been doing is moping, and after moping you are now moping with your cat. You’re turning into a crazy cat man.”

“First of all, I went out on a date with someone just a few weeks ago. It didn’t go very well so I’m giving myself a break-“

“If you’re talking about Clint that doesn’t count because it wasn’t even a date, it was a dude’s night out. I know these things Steve.”

“Second of all I have not been moping. I mourned for a while and then I got myself back onto my feet. Third of all I am not a crazy cat man. Crazy cat people hoard cats and I only have one well-trained and very sweet cat,” Steve finished.

Tony had come out of the bedroom and hid himself beside the couch watching the exchange. Steve spotted him and held his hand out wiggling his fingers to get the cat’s attention.

“Come here baby boy,” he said as Tony walked over. Steve lifted him and set him into his lap gently rolling his fingers over the fur on his back.

“Steve, sweetie, it is now a requirement for all adult guests to have a date at my wedding. Get out there again. Bring someone please. If there’s anyone that deserves someone it’s you,” she said placing a hand onto his cheek.

“Carol…”

“Just think about it okay. If worse comes to worse you can bring Tony,” she said with a small smile.

“Tony is exceptionally well-trained. I think he could handle it. Isn’t that right?”

Tony leaned up and bumped his nose against the bottom of Steve’s chin in a small kissing gesture.

“That’s adorable,” Carol said as her hand joined Steve’s in petting him.

Tony could get used to all this attention.

Steve and Carol chatted for another hour about the wedding, Steve’s job, and Carol may have slipped in a few places where he could find a date, but overall it was nice. Tony lavished the attention purring almost the entire time until Carol had gotten up to leave. Steve saw her out and locked the door once more for the night.

Tony rolled around on the carpet under the coffee table before stopping on his belly and looking up at Steve with his bright blue eyes.

“Do you have any ideas furbutt?” Steve asked walking over to the table and crouching down to look at him.

Tony pawed at the carpet and tilted his head before looking back up at Steve and walking over to him. He tapped his paw onto Steve’s nose and made his way back into the kitchen.

“Of course you want food,” Steve sighed as he followed the cat.

He jumped when he saw the basket back on the island.

“How did that…Tony.”

Tony looked up and meowed in protest. It wasn’t his fault the basket got out of the trashcan. He didn’t even touch it! Okay, he kinda touched it when he saw that toy inside, but he didn’t have time to grab the toy so still technically not touched.

“I don’t know how you even got it out of the trashcan,” Steve said lifting up the small cover of the basket seeing all the contents still inside before shoving the whole thing back into the trash.

“You stay out of there mister. I mean it,” Steve scolded as he filled Tony’s bowl with dry cat food.

No! Today was Tony’s wet food dinner night. This wasn’t fair! Stupid basket ruining his plans. He was gonna show that thing a lesson or two after Steve went to sleep. It was always better to do stuff when Steve was asleep because then he could put it back, or toss it into the trash without him ever finding out.

That was how he got rid of the hideous singing Christmas slippers that Steve hated. Steve didn’t seem fazed at all when he saw them torn to shreds in the trashcan the next day, but he had to feign irritation when he told Jan of what happened to them. Tony got extra scraps that night.

Apparently he wouldn’t be getting any scraps this night, no matter how much he meowed or nuzzled against Steve. Curses!  
After Steve went to bed that night Tony sat in front of the trashcan again. He waited for a bit before watching the basket lift itself out of the trash once more. After the thing set itself on the island Tony made his move. He did a graceful leap onto the stool, then onto the counter, before pulling off the cover that held its contents.

Man there was a lot of paper in here. Should he shre- OH OH OH! Toy, there’s the toy again! Wait, no he came to teach this basket a lesson…but the toy looked so awesome. He could prioritize. He did have all night to show this basket who’s boss before tossing it into the trash.

All right the toy win’s this round, but next round that basket is done for! He pawed the small cork out finding it attached to a bottle. Inside the bottle was a little mouse toy. It had to be Tony’s! The less Steve knew the better. The question was how to get it out.

Dropping it onto the floor would make it break, and it would wake up Steve so that was a bad plan. Maybe he could get his claws into the cork and then move the bottle enough so that it would fall out. Good idea!

Steve turned in his sleep muttering words under his breath. Blurred images swam through his head as he heard a faint crashing. Something had exploded and there was residue everywhere. He was jerked awake by a scream. A faint meowing followed it as he bolted out of bed.

That dumb cat, what did he do this time! Steve walked into the kitchen to see Tony whining on the floor. There was broken glass around him and small drips of blood on the tile.

“Tony!”

In a few moments Steve had placed Tony gently into a soft kitchen towel, had a phone in his hand dialing the 24 hour vet care, and put on a pair of sneakers. In a few more moments he had Tony in his carrier, grabbed his car keys, and locked his apartment door as he made his way to the car.

He made sure Tony wasn’t jostled too much as they made their way to the vet. Steve’s brains processing things a million miles a minute. How did that basket get back out of the trashcan? What was Tony doing playing with that glass? The cat was smarter than that, and he knew it. He was going to put a damn lock onto that trashcan. Would Tony be okay? Is the bleeding severe? Will he need surgery? Does he have an infection?

His thoughts buzzed through as he parked his car in front of the vet's building and made his way inside. The doctor nodded and escorted him to a private room so he could examine Tony.

After 4 long hours Tony was back in his carrier, sleeping heavily and Steve watched the doctor sign his papers off. It wasn’t severe and Tony wasn’t infected with anything. He had a few small shards of glass in his right paw and on the left side of his torso. They were easily removed, though the doctor did ask how he even got a hold of glass.

Steve explained that for some reason after a package came in Tony grew very interested in it. Each time he threw it away the cat would pull it back out again. The doctor asked if Tony had this kind of behavior before and Steve shook his head. He was recommended to get a trashcan lock, and Steve nodded in agreement.

They were out of the vet a few hours before sunrise. They were home in roughly 20 minutes. After taking off his shoes and locking the door, he took the carrier into his room. He cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, ignored the basket for now, and went into his bedroom locking that door so Tony wouldn’t get out again just in case. After that he took Tony out of his cage and set him on the pillow next to his. He managed to crawl into bed and fall asleep from exhaustion.

Tony woke up later that afternoon aching all over. His paw hurt and so did his side. Trying to get that toy out of the glass was a terrible idea! As soon as one of his claws sunk in the damn thing shocked him causing him to drop the bottle. He peaked over the edge of the counter to see if he could spot the toy, but he leaned too far and fell over right onto the broken glass. He doesn’t think he’s ever screamed that loud before, but he could be wrong.

Oh look! There’s Steve. Tony could wake him up and have him bring him food. His owner was always so easy to manipulate when Tony was hurt or sick. He got anything he wanted without having to raise one paw.

“Steve. Steve. Steeeeve. Steve feed me. Feed me food Steve. Steve I am injured, give me food,” Tony said lightly batting atSteve’s nose. He did notice that his paw was no longer a paw, but that must’ve happened at the doctor’s last night. Steve probably did it or something. Who cares, he was hungry.

Steve groaned and blinked a few times. He rubbed at his eyes with his hand before staring blankly at Tony. Steve’s body tensed before jumping out of bed and grabbing the lamp.

“Who are you! What are you doing in here! How did you get in here?! I am calling the police!”

“Steve, what are you talking about? Steve! Steve no I am hurt!” Tony leaped out of the way of the swinging lamp falling onto the floor. He cried out in pain and curled into a ball holding onto his side.

Steve slowly set down the lamp and peaked over the edge of the bed.

“Tony?”

“Please don’t hit me Steve. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to break the glass,” he sobbed.

“Oh my god, Tony!”

Steve carefully lifted him from the floor setting him back onto the bed.

“Tony shh shhh, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. How did this happen,” he said pulling the blankets over his body. Tony was pressing his hands against his neck and looking absolutely pitiful. Steve wiped away his tears and placed a light kiss onto his forehead.

“I thought you did it at the vet,” Tony said as he began fiddling with the blanket.

“Tony, you can’t turn a cat into a human at the vet.”

“Well I don’t know that. I’m a cat, or was one. Doesn’t really matter much now. Can you feed me?”

Steve sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Stay here. Don’t move or you’ll hurt yourself,” he said making his way out of his room and into the kitchen.

The basket was sitting on the island just like he left it last night. One wish my ass. Tony broke that little glass bottle last night and now he was-

“Stark naked in my bed. How does a cat turn into a human anyway. One wish. That dumb bottle. What was Tony thinking,” Steve said as he went through the papers. Words appeared onto them in an instant. There was a small kazoo noise as confetti popped out of the handle.

A roll of paper fell from the spot of the noise.

“What the fuck.”

Congratulations! Thank you for taking and making your once in a lifetime wish. Once every 50 years a lucky person is chosen to have such an opportunity. The wishes that can be made are under the following subjects:  
**A New Start**  
**True Love**  
**Fixing a mistake**  
**Going back in time**  
**Healing**  
**Success**  
You have chosen True Love. The subdivisions of this subject may vary like the subjects that were previously stated. We hope you’ve enjoyed our service.  
**All wishes and non-refundable.**  


“True love? I didn’t even wish for that! I didn’t wish for anything! What kind of crap is this!?”

“Steeeeve.”’

Steve turned to see a very naked human Tony leaning against the door frame.

“Tony you’re supposed to be in bed,” he said making sure to keep his eyes on Tony’s face.

“You were taking too long,” Tony pouted.

“Well you can’t just walk around naked.”

“I’ve been doing that since you got me!”

“Well when I bought you you had fur! Now you’re naked. As a human you have to wear clothes.”

“Sometimes you don’t wear clothes when you walk around here.”

“That’s because I was the only human in the house. When there are 2 humans or more in a building they have to wear clothes.”

“That doesn’t happen in Love of the Finest. There was a bunch of episodes where those two humans were naked in the same room together.”

“That’s different Tony.”

“How?”

“Those two were in an intimate relationship.”

“So in order for me to walk around here naked I have to be an in intimate relationship with you.”

“Tony do you even know what that means?”

“Where they kiss and have sex and stuff. I know.”

“Tony you are wearing clothes and that is final.”

“But Steeeeeeve,” Tony whined.

“No buts Tony. I have some clothes in my closet. Find something and put it on please.”

“Fine,” he sighed out obnoxiously.

Steve watched Tony limp back into his room before fetching the waffle iron. He always kept mix pre-made in his fridge in case he was in a bit more of a rush that morning. As he waited for the waffle iron to heat up he turned back to the basket. The blank documents had words on them now.

“Anthony Rogers Stark? Tony Rogers I understand but stark?…stark naked. Oh my god really. Someone is fucking with me now,” Steve said rubbing his temples.

“Born in 1985? Tony’s only 3 years old.”

“I’m 25 in cat years so that makes sense,” Tony said making Steve jump.

“Could you please not sneak up on me Tony.” Steve said putting the birth certificate in the basket.

“Okay. What are all those papers for?”

Steve looked at Tony’s attire seeing he was only in his Live United t-shirt and a pair of his basketball shorts.

“They’re your documents apparently. They show that you exist as a human anyway. I guess people won’t ask questions this way.”

“Okay. Hey did you find that mouse toy on the ground where the glass was?”

“Mouse toy?”

“Yeah there was a mouse toy in that bottle when I found it. I tried pulling the cork out with my claw but it shocked me and I dropped it.”

“Tony there was no mouse toy in that bottle. It was empty.”

“No it wasn’t. There was a mouse toy in there. If it was empty I wouldn’t have touched it.”

“How did you keep getting that basket out of the trashcan anyway?”

“I didn’t. It kept flying out of trashcan by itself. I saw it.”

“That’s impossible.”

“So was me turning into a human, but look at us now. Are you making waffles?”

Steve turned to the waffle iron and lifted the lid to find it fully heated. He opened the container and poured the mix into it. After he poured enough he closed the lid again.

“So you saw a toy mouse in the bottle?”

“Yes. Are the waffles done yet? Will you make bacon, because I really like it when you make bacon. Steve, make me some bacon please.”

“Tony, I’m going to take Wednesday off so that we can go shopping to get you some clothes. We can only have you in my clothes for so long.”

“Still don’t see why I can’t be naked,” Tony said as he sat on the stool at the small island.

Steve rolled his eyes and took out the first couple of waffles setting them onto a plate. He took the syrup from one of the bottom cabinets and poured more waffle mix into the iron before closing it once more. He started making bacon after the next batch of waffles was plated. Tony sat at the table drawing small patterns with his fingers into the tile.

Steve observed him in small glances to keep from burning the food. Tony was a very handsome man. Short coiffed dark brown almost black hair, deep bright blue eyes, slightly plump lips, neatly trimmed goatee, and a button rounded off nose made him look handsome but also endearing. This was no time to be observing how attractive his cat turned human is. He was too busy trying to figure out what happened.

There was a bottle that was labeled “One Wish” in a basket full of blank legal documents. Steve tossed it away. Tony saw the basket lift itself out of the trash, and he lifted the blanket seeing the same bottle only with a toy mouse inside. Carol came over and left, and then Steve threw the basket away again.

The basket got itself out of the trashcan later that night, Tony got a hold of the bottle, broke it, they went to the vet, and the next morning Tony is human.

Yes all of this makes perfect sense.

“Steve is the bacon done yet?”

“No Tony.”

“Food is taking too long.”

“How about you go in the living room for a bit? I’ll turn the t.v. on and you can watch that until breakfast is ready. Okay?” Steve said as he flipped the bacon.

“Okay.”

Tony limped to the living room and Steve followed after turning down the stove. He hated eating burnt bacon and he wouldn’t do it on a day like this. After quickly turning on the television and showing Tony which numbers to press for which channel he got back into the kitchen in time to plate the bacon. The last batch of waffles was done too so there was a bonus.

He made a plate for him and Tony then poured 2 glasses of orange juice.

“Steve! Steve! She cheated on him again and now his crazy ex is holding her at gun point!”

“What?!” Steve turned off the stove and unplugged the waffle iron before dashing into the living room.

Love and the Finest was playing on television again. Rowanda had cheated on Jack with Daniel again. Apparently Jack’s ex-girlfriend Trisha believes it should be the last time she should ever get away with doing that. Jack is trying to convince Trisha not to do it for both of their sakes. He’s saying that he’ll marry Trisha if she lets Rowanda go.

Steve sat down next to Tony and tapped his knee.

“Where’s Richard?”

“No idea. You’d think that policeman would be there by now,” Tony said crossing his arms.

“Oh, and breakfast is ready,” Steve said grabbing the remote.

“Can we pause it and bring food in here?”

“…well I guess.”

“Good,” Tony said slowly getting up from the couch. He went into the kitchen grabbing the made plates and cups before coming back into the living room and setting them onto the coffee table. Steve pressed play and grabbed his plate as the show continued.

It was actually really comfortable sitting with Tony and watching his shows like this. It was still different. Normally Steve would’ve eaten in the kitchen and Tivo’d this episode so he wouldn’t miss any important parts, but this was cozier. They sat close enough that their shoulders brushed when one leaned over to comment on their show.

“Why doesn’t Trisha just leave Jack alone? I mean he obviously wants someone that will treat him like shit. Why doesn’t she go off and find someone else,” Tony asked.

“People are complicated Tony. Sometimes it’s really hard to let go of someone you love,” Steve answered before shoving half of a waffle into his mouth.

“But isn’t letting go easier? I mean stressing over it and getting to this point in your mentality would cause more stress wouldn’t it,” Tony’s words were slightly muffled due to his cheeks being stuffed with bacon.

“Well you also have to realize that this is a soap opera. Stuff like this doesn’t happen in real life.”

“But there are billions of people in the world, so wouldn’t this make sense to happen to someone somewhere at least once?”

“…I never thought of it like that. I guess that might be why people watch soap operas so much. Maybe they wish their lives could be just as exciting, or dramatic.”

“Is that why you watch them so much Steve?”

“Of course not Tony, I watch them because it’s kind of like an escape I guess. Like reading books, I can focus on someone else’s lives instead of my own, making my problems seem insignificant in comparison. I can look at shows on television and think ‘Oh well he has to destroy this monster to save someone he cares about and all I have to do is get to work on time’.”

“Like a, somebody always has it worse so you shouldn’t be upset about your own issues mindset?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Steve-“ The phone rang cutting off Tony’s statement.

“One second,” Steve said getting up from his spot on the couch. He went to the buffet pulling the phone off of the hook.

“Hello?...Oh well I-…What really?! Is he okay?...Okay well I guess I can. What were his hours? That’s not too bad…all right. I’ll be there in an hour or less.”

“Steve nooo, don’t go to work.”

“I have to Tony. Thor got hurt on the job, and I’ve gotta fill in for him,” Steve said picking up their dirty dishes.

“You have an injured cat you need to take care of. The cat is me Steve. I am the cat. Take care of me Steve!”

“Tony I’ll be back around 7 tonight. I’m sure you can survive until then. You know where the bed is if you get tired, the tv is still on in case you get bored, and there’s extra bacon in the kitchen for when you get hungry until I get back.”

At this point Steve had put the dishes into the dishwasher and gone into his room to change into his work clothes.

“Who’s Thor?!” Tony called out from the living room.

“He was the big guy who came over and gave you that squeaky hammer toy remember?”

“Oh him! I liked him! He gave me food when you weren’t looking. I approve of you going to help him,” Tony’s voice spoke getting closer.

“So happy that I have your approval. However in order for me to do as you say I’m going to have to ask you to let me go, Tony.”

Tony had wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist preventing him from pulling his shirt down all the way. He was nuzzling his face in between his shoulder blades and making himself comfortable like he used to when he was a cat.

“Nah, I’m good here.”

Steve and Tony fought for a bit before Steve freed himself and finished getting dressed. After showing Tony how to use the microwave in case he didn’t want to eat cold left overs he made his way out locking the door behind himself.

“Now what will I do?” Tony asked himself as he limped back to the couch and flopped face first onto the cushions. A commercial for a new drama started to play as the television caught his attention once more.

~~~~

After parking the car, Steve trudged up the stairs to his apartment. They worked him ragged that night. Apparently Thor did a surplus of the heavy lifting that other employees couldn’t handle. He was covered in dried sweat and dirt, his hair was a mess, and he’s sworn to himself never to take over for Thor or anyone else for that matter. As he unlocked the door to his apartment he groaned inwardly at the site. The living room was littered with what he assumed was his television and DVD player. Tony sat in the middle of it covered in black smudges and his hair stood out at odd angles.

“I don’t know how you found my toolbox, or even how you got my television into so many pieces but if it’s not all put back together by the time I’m out of the shower and dressed in my pajamas we will have words Anthony,” Steve said as he walked over the mess to his room.

Tony was going to say something but stopped himself as he got back to work fixing what he’d broken temporarily.

Steve made sure to soak in the tub for a good half hour before dragging himself out of the now luke warm water. Something he learned from Janet after her study abroad trip was that it was best to shower before a bath so that you only have to relax in the water and not stew in your own filth. Advice he took to heart and used only when he was really worn out. Doing it more than a few times a month made the water bill a worthy adversary.

After getting dressed in a t-shirt clung to his damp chest and boxers, he stepped into the living room to find everything in order again.

“Steve! Guess what I did to the TV!”

“Almost destroyed it.”

“No, I made it better. Come on, turn it on. Please please please,” Tony said bouncing in his seat.

Steve sighed and sat down next to him. He looked around for the remote before Tony took his hand and placed it onto his palm. He gave Tony a wary side glance before pressing the power button.

First thing Steve noticed was that the color was much more vivid than when he purchased it. The next part was the sound system, it was clear, almost like he was in the same room.

“Tony what did you do to my TV.”

“I fixed it!”

“How?!”

“Well I got bored. So I was looking at your books and I found some on programming. Why do you have those?”

“Requirement for the job that everyone have one and read up on it in case anything malfunctions in the building.”

“Okay well yeah I read it in like a couple hours and I decided that I’m going to fix some stuff in your house. After I kind of broke the toaster and ya know everything is fine. It was actually really easy. You know that if you take the-“

“-wait what did you say?”

“Hm?”

“Did you say something about the toaster?”

“uhm…no.”

“Tony.”

“Well the toaster might be-“

“Tony!”

“I needed some parts that the TV didn’t have!”

“You broke my toaster!”

“I made you a new one.”

“Out of what?!”

“I asked your neighbors if they had anything they didn’t want anymore and they gave me a digital clock. They’re very nice by the way and Ms. Grayson said you should visit her more,” Tony finished with a furrowed brow.

“You went to my neighbors door dressed in my clothes and-you know what? I am too tired for this today. Tony, do not “fix” anymore of my stuff. It’s not polite to just take apart my things.”

“You don’t like it,” Tony said visibly deflating.

“No it’s not that, it’s just. Next time ask me first okay?”

“Okay.”

Tony was playing with his hands on his lap, his eyes not really focused on anything, still a little upset.

“Okay, you’re getting a bath, and then I’m going to make dinner.”

Tony froze and gave Steve a horrified look. Steve realized what he said and made sure not to make any sudden movements.

Tony hated baths as a cat, why would he comply as a human now?

“Tony.”

“Nope!” Tony bolted from the couch, quickly clutching his side and trying to run to the door. Steve however was much faster and managed to grab Tony by his hips lifting him from the ground.

“No Steve! NO! DON’T MAKE ME!”

“Tony you are covered in grime! You are taking a bath!”

Tony pressed his hands against Steve’s shoulders trying to push him away. Steve just held on tighter as they got into the bathroom and kicked the door closed behind him.

“Steve please! Please don’t make me!” Tony begged as he struggled.

“Tony you can’t go to sleep like this,” he replied holding him with one arm as he turned on the bath water. He got it to a comfortable temperature somehow, and realized that he couldn’t undress Tony without him escaping somehow. Time to improvise. He turned on the shower and held tightly onto Tony’s hips as he sent him under the spray.

“No NO NO AAAA-aaahhh?” Tony’s screams died down quickly to confusion.

“Are you okay?”

“Ooohh,” he moaned under the water.

“Do you like it?” Steve asked hesitantly letting him go.

“Am I allowed to be naked in here?”

“Yes, it’s actually welcome when taking baths.”

“Beautiful,” Tony said as he started to strip off his soaked clothing.

“Your bandages are waterproof, but be careful anyway, okay?"

Tony moaned in response.

"I’ll leave you to it then.”

Steve left the bathroom and picked up the phone preparing to order a couple of pizzas. Like hell he would cook anything after the day he’s had. Maybe things would look better tomorrow. He ordered 2 pizzas one cheese and one meatlovers, and after hearing the offer for free breadsticks and Pepsi he took those as well. He got his total and sat on one of the stools at the island in the kitchen looking at the paper full of documents.

Whatever hand was at work here, Tony’s stuck like this and it’s something he’ll just have to get used to.

~~~~

Things were going pretty well for a while. After setting up some ground rules and only finding Tony had broken a couple of them, they made it all the way to Wednesday. Steve should’ve known this peaceful mindset wouldn’t last.

~~~~

“Tony, are you dressed yet?” Steve called from outside the bathroom.

“Almost. I don’t know how you can wear this junk all the time Steve. Too many buttons and zippers and sleeves,” he replied.

“There is only one zipper, and you wanted to wear that button up.”

“That’s because it’s the only thing in your closet that doesn’t look ancient,” he said finally stepping out of the bathroom.

“Trust me, I can’t wait until you have some clothes of your own too. I already have to do laundry earlier than expected,” Steve said his arms crossed over his chest.

“You wouldn’t have to if you just let me walk around naked,” Tony mumbled.

Steve ignored him as they made their way to the door. Tony wore a pair of his flip flops because Steve’s feet were much larger than his so shoes were a no go.

“It’s weird not being in the carrier and having to walk to the car,” Tony said as Steve locked the door behind them.

Honestly it was weird leaving with someone else out of his apartment, but he kept that comment to himself. The drive to the mall was quiet and uneventful. The radio played soft instrumental music that Tony tried to change three times before Steve sent him a look that told him not to try a fourth time. Finding a parking spot was also easy seeing as how it was the middle of the week. Steve may have been old-fashioned but he was not a stupid man. Coming on a Wednesday, where all of his other friends would be working, diminished the chances of him running into anyone with Tony. He just wouldn’t know how to explain it if the issue surfaced.

When they went inside to see the few pedestrians roaming about Steve just followed Tony, letting him mill about and look around at his choices. The first place he went into was the Men’s Warehouse with Steve who, after seeing the price tags, quickly pulled him out. The next place was Express, and that received the same reaction. Tony had an eye for expensive things that Steve couldn’t hope to afford on his salary so they improvised. JC Penny was safe, as was Sears, and Dillards, where they all possessed clothes that looked like the stuff Tony wanted, with a much lower price which Steve could afford.

Luckily there was also a Payless in the mall so Steve could get Tony a pair of tennis shoes and a nice black pair of dress shoes that Tony refused to take off once putting them on. They went to one of the cleaner mall bathrooms and Tony changed into some of his new clothes, putting Steve’s into the bag along with the flip flops. When he came out he was in dark grey dress slacks, a long sleeved red button up, the dress shoes, and a matching black tie(that Steve had to tie for him).

“Yeah this is much better than your clothes,” Tony said grabbing some of the bags.

“Right. So are you ready to go?”

“Can we get something to eat first? I’m starving. When was the last time we ate anything?”

“Well, we can get some Chinese food,” Steve answered as they started towards the food court.

“Sounds good to me. Race ya!” Tony bolted off towards the elevator and Steve’s shoulders slumped with a sigh before chasing after him.

After making the small scene, they got their food, set their bags down between their legs under the table and began to eat. Tony really liked the bourbon and sesame chicken, while Steve enjoyed his General Tso’s.

“So how do you like your new clothes?”

“We have to come here and buy more every Wednesday.”

“No Tony, I don’t get paid that much,” Steve replied putting another forkful in his mouth.

“What if I started working? Then we could afford it right?”

“I-…do you want to work?” Steve asked his eyebrow raised.

“Why not? You do it all the time,” he answered his mouth full of noodles.

“It’s not that easy Tony. Some jobs want you to have experience, and certain skill sets. You don’t even have a degree,” Steve explained.

“Yeah so? Tons of people don’t have degrees, besides some people get rich without going to school once.”

“Yes that may be true, but it doesn’t work that way for everyone. You’d have to come up with something that everyone would want, and I’m not sure if we, if I have the resources or the money to get you supplies to make something like that.” Steve was stabbing at his food now frustration furrowing his brow and making his lip twitch.

“Steve. It’s okay. We’ll figure something out,” Tony said placing his hand over Steve's.

Steve looked up and forced a small smile. Tony gave a large smile of his own, all teeth, as the corners of his eyes crinkled a bit.

“Steve?” came a woman’s voice.

“Jan?” Steve turned a saw a small petit woman with short brown hair.

“Steve! What are you doing here?” she asked coming over to the table. A man carrying several large boxes and bags followed behind her.

“I could ask you and Hank the same thing. That is Hank right?”

“Yup. Hi Steve,” he said peering from behind the stack of boxes.

“So, Steve, who is this?” she asked turning to Tony.

“Oh this is Anthony…Stark. Anthony Stark.”

Tony nodded and gave her a smirk.

She looked down at their conjoined hands and gave Steve a private smile of her own, “Are you two…?”

“No. Just friends,” he said pulling his hand away.

“Okaaay. How long have you been just friends?” She asked the air quotes were implied with her tone.

“You don’t mind if we sit with you do you?” Hank asked as his arms started to shake.

Steve really wanted to say no, they were heading out, but Tony chimed in.

“Of course you can, we just got here. Grab a couple of seats. You ordered food yet? The Chinese is great, I’d recommend it.”

That was how Steve ended up spending the next 2 hours in the food court, expertly dodging questions about Tony and lying where he needed to. Tony and Jan had diverted into their own conversation several times as they ate, some of which Steve couldn’t hear as they played with her iPhone.

“Well we have to go. I need to take Tony home,” Steve said standing from his chair.

“Aaaww,” whined both Jan and Tony as they started gathering their own bags.

“Well it was really nice meeting you Tony,” Jan stated shaking his hand.

“Will you be at the wedding with Steve?” Hank asked.

“Wedding? What wedding?” Tony turned to look at Steve.

“Carol is getting married, but that’s nothing you have to worry about,” Steve huffed.

“Nonsense! You should come. Clint would love you. Thor would love you,” Jan said holding onto Tony’s hands.

“Thor loves everyone,” Steve said lightly tugging on Tony’s sleeve.

“You know what I mean,” she said with a roll of her wrist.

“I’ll think about it. Bye Jan, bye Hank,” Steve bid as he lead Tony away.

“Bye Jan! It was nice talking to you,” Tony waved his arm in a big arc before they were out of earshot.

“She’s really nice. What’s all this about a wedding?” Tony asked as they left the mall.

“Like I said, nothing you have to worry about.”

“But weddings have cake, and I like cake Steve. Steve you should let me go with you,” Tony begged as they approached the car.

Steve opened the back door gently tossing their things in before shutting it and getting into the driver’s seat. Tony got in opposite and looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Steve.Steve.Steve.Steve.Steve.”

“Yes Tony?”

“Let me go to the wedding with you. Pleeeaasseee,” he said giving him big puppy eyes.

“Don’t try to pull that, you were a cat, puppy eyes won’t work on me,” he replied putting the car into drive and pulling out.

Hopefully in a couple days Tony would forget about all this wedding business. They had bigger things to work out anyway. Like Tony getting a job, and whatever came after that.

**Author's Note:**

> Un-Beta'd  
> Will try to update soon, if there are any mistakes please let me know.


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